What Is The Role Of Waste In Macbeth

In the National Theatre’s new production of Macbeth, acclaimed French set designer Phillipe Pierre has chosen to include on the stage, a large pile of trash that grows as the action of the play unfolds. The audience can then equate the growing pollution on the stage with the growing moral pollution of Macbeth throughout the play. As Macbeth’s ambitions grow, along with his violent actions, so too does the amount of garbage on the stage. All the props and costumes that the actors discard and change out of are added on to the pile of trash, including the bloody daggers and any blood stained clothing. The pile of trash will eventually contain all of the items that Macbeth must use in order to make his ascent to the thrown. In the final scene when Macduff beheads Macbeth, he tosses the severed head onto the pile of garbage. There it sits reigning over the disgusting remnants of the actions that led up to that point, serving as a cruel depiction of where Macbeth’s ambitions have led him. The head only remains there for a few moments, as it rolls off when a giant bulldozer pushes the entirety of the pile off of the stage followed by Malcolm who enters, delivers his final speech, and before exiting leaves a single …show more content…
As the first characters on the stage they are the first to add to the pile of garbage. The significance of the witches being the first to add to the pile of garbage lies within the fact that the witches are also responsible for setting into motion the murderous ambitions of Macbeth. Their prophecy triggers the eventual violent actions that Macbeth will take in order to fulfill it. The witches’ gift of prophesy allows them to foretell not only that Macbeth will eventually be consumed by his ambition and guilt, but also that the population of the world, if it continues on in the wasteful, self-destructive manner that it has been in recent years it will eventually be destroyed by its own